You should rotate the car tyres about every 10,000 miles to extend their life and improve performance.
Time Needed: 20 minutes, Difficulty: Beginner, Cost: £100-300 (with tools for life)
Today is all about rotating those tyres that have been on your car a few thousand miles too long. It’s one of those very basic things that everybody has to do, and it can be addressed by you or a tyre shop.
Here’s the deal: A tyre shop will charge you £30-£50 to rotate tyres once, and tyres usually need rotation every 10,000 miles of a tyre’s typical 40,000-50,000-mile life. Add those costs up, and they amount to more than enough money to buy the tools you need to do the job yourself. Not only will this save you money by replacing future rotations, but those newly acquired tools will also help you with other DIY jobs that you encounter down the road.
Suffice it to say that rotating your tyres at home is the way to go, and we’ve created a helpful guide to pilot you through the process. Let’s begin.
Why You Need To Rotate Your Tires
Tires wear differently based on where they are in the car. Front tyres get worn out quickly because, on most cars, they bear the weight of the engine and do all of the steering. Maintaining even tread depth across all four tyres is crucial for consistent traction, handling, and overall vehicle safety. Rotating tyres just ensures that all tyres wear evenly over the life of the tyres and helps you save money in the long run. It also keeps you safe, as a car is dependent on a tyre working the way it is designed to function. If it wears unevenly, this performance and ability could be degraded and put you in harm’s way.
Tony Markovich
What’s the Difference Between Directional and Non-Directional Tyres, and Why Does It Matter?
Directional tyres mean that they are designed to roll in one direction and cannot be flipped around. It’s important to keep directional tyres facing the right way to ensure proper handling and wear. They also limit tyre rotations to the same side of the car, meaning front to back and back to front, so make sure you know your tyre type before you rotate.
Is Rotating Tires Different for Front-Wheel-Drive, Rear-Wheel-Drive, and Four-Wheel-Drive Cars?
Functionally, the tools you need are the same, and the task is similar, but the rotation pattern changes depending on whether you have front-wheel drive vehicles or rear-wheel drive vehicles. Here’s a quick explainer for tyres that are all the same size and are non-directional:
Front-wheel drive vehicles: Front tyres move to the rear, and rear tyres cross to the front. This is known as the ‘Forward Cross’ pattern, which is the most common for front-wheel drive vehicles.
Rear-wheel drive vehicles: Rear tyres move to the front, and front tyres cross to the back. This helps to maximize their potential and ensure even tire wear.
Four-wheel drive: Rear tyres move to the front, and front tyres cross to the back.
The Safety Brief
You’ll need a few key items to keep it groovy and safe in your garage. You should definitely pick up a pack of mechanics gloves and maybe some knee pads to protect yourself while removing the wheels.
Mechanics gloves
Knee pads
Safety glasses
Jack stands
The Tools & Parts You Need
At The Wee 88, we love to save everyone time with well-organised info. This is no different: Take one trip to the auto parts store or tool store of your choice and grab a set of jack stands, a hydraulic trolley jack, some wheel chocks, a lug nut socket that fits your car, and a basic torque wrench.
Hydraulic jack
Jack stands
Wheel chocks
Impact wrench
Socket set
Torque wrench
Peter Nelson
The Task: How To Rotate Your Tyres
1. Park on a Level Surface
It’s important to start somewhere level so that the car does not roll away or move while lifting it up.
2. Place Wheel Chocks Behind the Rear Tyres
This is another safety step that will prevent any expensive accidents while lifting the front end. When placing wheel chocks behind the rear tyres, ensure they are positioned correctly, especially behind the rear left tyre, to maintain stability.
3. Use a Lug Wrench To Loosen the Wheels Before Lifting
Most cars will have a lug wrench and wheel lock key in their toolkit in the trunk. Do not use the torque wrench to break the lug nuts loose, it will damage it. Don’t be afraid to use your legs on the lug wrench to crack them loose! Don’t remove, just loosen them. You won’t be able to loosen them in the air.
4. Find the Front Jack Point and Lift the Car
Most cars will have a main front jack point under the centre of the front of the car to make lifting easier. If that is not the case, you will have to lift each side of the car separately, and place jack stands underneath a secure point like a control arm joint or the main jack points. Refer to your owner’s manual.
5. Place Jack Stands Under Front Jack Points
Make sure that the car is safely lifted before attempting to place jack stands underneath it. If the hydraulic jack is slowly losing height or looks like it may slip, stop and try again. Once it is safe, place the jack stands underneath the main jack points on the side of the car or under a similarly reinforced section of the chassis like a control arm joint.
6. Lower the Front Onto the Front Jack Stands
Slowly, and I mean slowly, lower the car onto the jack stands with the hydraulic jack. Make sure to triple-check that the car will land on the stand safely and let the car drop gently until it settles.
7. Check that the Car is Secure With a Vigorous Shake
Visually inspect the jack stands and then stand up and shake the car around from a secure point. If the car doesn’t move, it should be safe to work with.
8. Find the Rear Jack Point and Lift The Car
Do the same thing we did at the front and lift the car from the back. Luckily, it is much easier to lift the back end as a whole, with the rear subframe or rear differential being viable jack points.
9. Place Jack Stands Under Rear Jack Points
The factory lift/jack points should suffice for the rear. It is hard to find an alternative lift point out back.
10. Lower the Rear Onto the Rear Jack Stands
Same as before, lower the car slowly onto the stands and make sure everything lands securely. Give the car a shake. After that’s done, keep the hydraulic jack just beneath the height of the jack stands on the side you’re working on. That way, if one of the jack stands fails, the jack will be there to save it.
11. Remove Wheels and Follow the Appropriate Pattern
Get the lug wrench that you used to loosen the lug nuts and use it to fully remove the lug nuts. Keep the lugs somewhere safe and carefully remove the wheel. If the wheel is stuck, give it a kick or use a mallet on the tyre to free it from the hub. Remove the pairs you intend to rotate first and swap them so the wheels don’t get mixed up. Remember to follow the appropriate rotation pattern, especially when dealing with front and rear axles and front and rear tyres. Furthermore, directional tyres need to remain on the same side of the car and be aware of staggered sizes that could affect pattern and rotation.
12. Inspect Tyres for Wear or Damage
Roll the tyre around and inspect the tread for damage. Tyre rotation is crucial for ensuring even wear across all four tyres. Look for cuts or bubbles and uneven wear. Make sure the tire has even tread across the entire tire. If it doesn’t, there is likely an alignment or suspension problem. If all looks well, proceed.
13. Hand Thread Lug Nuts and Snug Them
Offer the wheels up to the car and hang them on the studs. If the car doesn’t have studs, hang them on the hub and hand-thread one lug bolt to secure the wheel. Thread all lugs on and snug them with the lug wrench by holding the wheel still.
14. Lift Front and Rear Separately and Remove Jack Stands
Reverse everything we just did and raise the car. Remove the jack stands. Then lower the car gently onto its tyres. Once all four wheels are back on the ground, we move on to tightening the lug nuts.
15. Get a Torque Wrench and Tighten Lug Nuts To Factory Specification
Get your torque wrench and set it to the required torque setting, which will be found in your owner’s manual. Tighten all lugs to that setting in a star pattern, always going across to another lug. Congratulations, you’ve rotated your wheels!
FAQs About Rotating Tires
Based on keyword research and Google data, we’ve selected popular questions about the topic of rotating tyres at home. We answer those inquiries below.
Q. What if I have a spare tyre on my four-wheel-drive vehicle?
A. In this case, the pattern is slightly different. The spare tyre goes to the rear right wheel on the rear axle. The rear right wheel goes to the front right corner. The front right wheel goes to the rear left corner on the rear axle. The rear left wheel goes to the front left corner. The front left wheel goes into the spare holder.
Q. What if my wheels are staggered fitment?
A. Well, you can only rotate wheels on the same axle if they are staggered, and you won’t be able to swap them front to back.
Q. Do you really need to rotate your tyres?
A. Yes, you do. It’s highly recommended because tyres are expensive, and rotating them to double their lifespans makes sense. Sure, you can keep replacing pairs of tyres, but regular rotations keep the wear even and safe.
Q. What if I have directional tyres?
A. In that case, you can only swap the tyres front-to-back and not side-to-side.